Page 53 of September’s Cowboy Travis

She stared at me. “You are the cowboy talent, right?”

I glanced around the grounds, wondering if maybe somebody else was standing behind me, but nobody was. “I brought the horses.”

“Right.” She nodded and shifted her attention back to the screen. “I know the horses belong to Beau Jordan. We'll get him involved when he gets here, but for now⁠—”

“Hank.”

Her eyebrows pulled together, and she looked up.

I nodded toward the horse next to me. “That one's Hank. Gus is on the left.”

She looked at the horses. Then at me. “And you are?”

“Beau.”

Nothing happened for about two seconds. Then I watched realization hit. Her eyes widened. “Beau.”

“Jordan.”

“As in Beau Jordan.”

“That’s what my mama named me.”

She closed her eyes.

I probably should've let her off the hook, but I was enjoying myself too much.

When she opened her eyes again, she looked past me toward the parking lot like she was wondering if she could make it out of town before anyone stopped her.

“So you're not the cowboy model.”

“No.”

“And when Mayor Nelson said Beau Jordan would be here with the Clydesdales for the promotional shoot⁠—”

“He left out the part where Beau Jordan said no.”

Her eyes narrowed. That was an expression I understood. Orville Nelson had inspired it in most people in Mustang Mountain at one time or another.

“He told me this was confirmed.”

“He was being optimistic.”

She shook her head like she didn't understand. “But he had it on the schedule when he hired me last-minute to take over.”

I shrugged. “He probably shouldn't have done that.”

A laugh escaped before she could stop it, and she covered it with one hand. There was nothing polite about it. Warm and real, it hit me harder than her telling me to take my shirt off had.

I turned back to Hank before she could catch me watching her. Hank didn't need anything. His harness was fine. I checked it anyway.

“So,” she said behind me, “I'd like to start over.”

“That's probably a good idea.”

She picked up her coffee. Then she stepped into my line of sight and held out her free hand.

“I'm Caroline Fisher. Mayor Nelson hired me to manage the fall festival.”